Despite an early insistence that Original Series races not be used on The Next Generation, the Klingons became an integral part of TNG, and later DS9. This was of course due in part to Michael Dorn’s portrayal of Worf, but there is more to it than just that. By maturing the character of Worf and the show itself, the writers truly brought the Klingon culture to life. In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by Larry Nemecek to discuss the episode where it all started: “Sins of the Father.”

It’s called “The Motionless Picture” by many, and spends its days and nights hanging out in the cellar along with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. But there’s so much more to The Motion Picture than five-minute beauty passes, excessively revealing pastel uniforms, and a pace that would make a tortoise proud. Robert Wise’s cinematic take on Star Trek centers around an intriguing philosophical point and marked the resurrection that led to The Next Generation and all of modern Trek. In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by Michael Fisher as we discuss the good, the bad, and the just plain ridiculous of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

The 2009 J.J. Abrams film set Star Trek on a new course, but did so with familiar characters. As Spock said in the film, “Whatever our lives might have been….our destinies have changed.” Under the guidance of Roberto Orci, IDW is exploring these new destinies in the Star Trek Ongoing comic series. What’s more, these comics have direct tie-ins to the next movie—called Star Trek 2 by many—scheduled for release in 2013. Clues to the plot and subplot are being placed in these new takes on classic episodes. But what are those clues? In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by John Tenuto and Sean Tourangeau as we discuss the TOS episode “Operation:Annihilate!” and its re-imaged storyline in the comics, along with what clues we are finding that give hints to what we’ll see in the next film.

In news we cover Muckle Mannequins’ life-sized Spock figure, a visual take on TNG Season 8 by Bad Machinery’s John Allison, the new animated parody “Stalled Trek: Amutt Time,” the Vanguard finale, and the musical collection “TNG: The Ron Jones Project.”

Everyone knows that first contact occurred in Montana on April 5, 2063. Or at least that’s what the history books tell us. But is it really true? Enterprise kicked off its sophomore season by ruffling the feathers of many canon purists with the story of an earlier first contact between humans and Vulcans. In this story, which T’Pol tells Archer and Trip over dinner, the first encounter between these two founding races of the Federation took place in 1947, in Pennsylvania. In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by Michael Fisher as we discuss the episode “Carbon Creek,” its place in canon, and how it is an excellent example of Star Trek’s exploration of social issues.